Spain begins returning Sudanese migrants from Ceuta to Morocco

Spain has initiated the removal of Sudanese migrants who entered Ceuta, moving 23 individuals from a reception centre to a police facility for triage before deporting them through the Tarajal border crossing into Morocco. The migrants, who had not applied for asylum, reported that police woke them at night and escorted them to the frontier, where Moroccan authorities confiscated their belongings and transferred them to a site about 17 kilometres from Casablanca.

Officials claim the expulsions were carried out with legal safeguards, including interpreter assistance, as required by Spanish law for vulnerable persons from conflict zones. The migrants allege they were misled about the police’s intentions and intend to challenge the expulsions in court. The government is also preparing a decree to streamline future returns of irregular entrants from Ceuta to Morocco.